Anyone has one tire deflates faster than the other 3?

[mybank2828]

Any one has this problem of one tire deflates about 10 lbs in a month while the other 3 tires only deflated 2 to 4 lbs? I only had about 7k miles on the tires and when I went for a yearly oil change, the service consultant said nothing wrong with that tire, but recommended me to do an alignment which he wants to charge $180 and that's not part of the 4 years maintenance. I decided not to do it at that time.

Does anyone think the alignment cause that one tire deflating issue?

Should let them do the alignment? My z4 drives straight forward when you let go of the steering wheel, it's not like it's going left or right. That's why I didn't think I need it yet.

Thanks for any advice from anyone! Oh I have the original run-flat tires just incase.

[rking117]

this is abnormal i think. I would take it by a tire shop to test for any leaks and maybe replace the valve stem. Mine lose maybe a couple pounds every couple months. I do not have to air up that often.

[instantfob]

Go to Costco and have them dunk the wheel/tire into the water tank and look for leaks.
It could be anything ...

- debris stuck on the bead
- crack wheel
- bad tpms
- puncture you can't see

[transmit]

I've had that happen a couple of times on different cars and in each case it was a nail or screw that had lodged itself into the tire and created a slow leak.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by mybank2828

Any one has this problem of one tire deflates about 10 lbs in a month while the other 3 tires only deflated 2 to 4 lbs? I only had about 7k miles on the tires and when I went for a yearly oil change, the service consultant said nothing wrong with that tire, but recommended me to do an alignment which he wants to charge $180 and that's not part of the 4 years maintenance. I decided not to do it at that time.

Does anyone think the alignment cause that one tire deflating issue?

Should let them do the alignment? My z4 drives straight forward when you let go of the steering wheel, it's not like it's going left or right. That's why I didn't think I need it yet.

Thanks for any advice from anyone! Oh I have the original run-flat tires just incase.

First off, improper alignment has absolutely nothing to do with the deflation problem you describe. And I'll bet that's not what the service writer was implying. I suspect the technician spotted signs of abnormal tire wear and that's why the alignment was recommended. The fact that your car "drives straight forward when you let go of the steering wheel" means almost nothing with regard to proper alignment. My experience to date with a car just like yours is that the alignment is easily knocked out (especially with rigid sidewall RFTs). If you didn't have a four wheel alignment when you had these tires installed 7K miles ago, I would get it done post haste.

[Putzo]

Originally Posted by paris1

First off, improper alignment has absolutely nothing to do with the deflation problem you describe. And I'll bet that's not what the service writer was implying. I suspect the technician spotted signs of abnormal tire wear and that's why the alignment was recommended. The fact that your car "drives straight forward when you let go of the steering wheel" means almost nothing with regard to proper alignment. My experience to date with a car just like yours is that the alignment is easily knocked out (especially with rigid sidewall RFTs). If you didn't have a four wheel alignment when you had these tires installed 7K miles ago, I would get it done post haste.

+1

I had "bad alignment issues" cost me an entire set of RFTs on my 335i. The inner shoulders were worn down to throw-away, even though the rest of the tread was about 50%. Interestingly, it was the TPMS throwing a low tire pressure warning that prompted the dealer visit that revealed the alignment problem. The service adviser later told me that BMWs in general are incredibly easy to throw out of alignment. She said "driving over a dime can do it". Anyway, I get an alignment every two years now, just to be safe, and my car is a summer driver only.